National sports body sentenced for corporate manslaughter

A national athletics governing body and its former head of sport have been sentenced following the death of para-athlete Abdullah Hayayei during a training session in 2017.

The case demonstrates the Met’s commitment to securing justice for families no matter how complex the investigation or how long it takes.

During the course of a meticulous investigation by specialist homicide detectives, officers reviewed over 1,500 documents, took 160 witness statements, spoke to over 80 witnesses and collated expert reports on subjects ranging from corporate governance to the design of the throwing cage that fatally-injured the victim.

At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 2 June a judge sentenced UK Athletics Limited to a fine of £350,000 and costs. The organisation had pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter in February.

The body’s former head of sport, Keith Davies, 79 (06.05.1947) of Bushwood, Leytonstone pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. He was sentenced to a community order with 175 hours of unpaid work.

Following the sentencing, Abdullah’s family said in a tribute:

"Abdullah was not just a person who passed away. He was a father and a husband with responsibilities, dreams and a future.

"He was always thinking about his children's future, his ambition as an athlete and representing the United Arab Emirates.

"What happened was not just a simple mistake but the result of gross negligence that could have been avoided had the required safety procedures been adhered to.

"Abdullah went out to represent his country and raise the name of the UAE, but he died because of this negligence."

Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said:

“My thoughts remain with Abdullah’s loved ones. I would like to thank the Hayayei family for their support and patience as we have worked to secure justice for Abdullah over the course of this incredibly complex investigation.

“Abdullah was a talented athlete whose life was cruelly cut short by the failings by those who were meant to keep him safe.

“The lead technician of the firm that had manufactured the throwing cage knew within seconds of seeing the scene that the equipment hadn’t been erected properly.

“Our investigation demonstrated that for years the cage, which was donated to UK Athletics after the 2012 Olympics, wasn’t being properly secured by UK Athletics and its representatives.

“This was a tragedy waiting to happen. It arose from negligent approaches to health and safety and a failure to construct the throwing cage with the necessary supportive equipment.

“Establishing what failures caused Abdullah’s death has taken years of meticulous work by a committed team of detectives. It is no less than his family deserved.”

The investigation

Abdullah Hayayei, 36, was a professional para-athlete who was in London representing the United Arab Emirates at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. The previous year he had represented his country in the javelin and shotput events at the Rio Paralympics.

While training at Newham Leisure Centre in Prince Regent Lane E13 on 11 July 2017, Mr Hayayei was killed when the throwing cage he was training in collapsed, striking him on the head.

Police and other emergency services were called, but despite the best efforts of medical staff he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation into Abdullah’s death.

Within a day of the tragedy, the chief technician of the company that that manufactured the cage was able to tell officers what caused it to collapse. The engineer – who had flown in from his offices in Sweden – could see that the equipment had not been properly secured.

The cage had been erected on 10 July 2017, the day before Abdullah’s death, by UK Athletics’ head of sport Keith Davies and a team of five assistants. They worked in a rush, illuminated by their vehicle headlights.

Key safety precautions were not followed. A series of 10 metal weights designed to secure the five metre-high cage were not used.

The investigation team reviewed photographs from a number of athletics events where the same cage had been put up by the UK Athletics team. They showed the restraints were never used to secure the equipment.

As the investigation progressed, detectives gathered highly-technical witness statements. A meteorological expert advised on the high winds that caused the cage’s collapse, while a topographical survey established that it had been erected on bumpy, unsafe ground.

Officers travelled to the Spanish factory where the cage was manufactured to obtain expert evidence on its design. Statements were taken from around 80 witnesses, including eyewitnesses from other athletics teams who had returned to New Zealand and USA after the tournament.

And as the investigation turned to focus on UK Athletics, a corporate governance expert gave evidence on the organisation’s lack of proper health and safety processes and mechanisms for people to report concerns around safety breaches.

In January 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges of corporate manslaughter against UK Athletics and gross negligence manslaughter against Keith Davies. Both were also charged with Health and Safety at Work Act offences.